39 bodies found in truck in UK identified as Chinese nationals

LONDON: The 39 people found dead in a cold storage truck on Wednesday in Essex were on Thursday identified as Chinese nationals, while its 25-year-old driver from Northern Ireland remains in custody.

“We have confirmed that eight of the deceased are women and 31 are men and all are believed to be Chinese nationals. We arrested a man on suspicion of murder,” Essex police said in a statement.

Releasing details, police said the tractor unit of the truck had entered the country via Holyhead on October 20, having travelled from Dublin. It then collected the trailer, which had travelled from Zeebrugge, at the port of Purfleet on October 23.

Police said each of the 39 people must undergo a full coroner’s process to establish a cause of death, adding that investigations continue with partners and law enforcement agencies to establish how they died.

There have been several instances of people being smuggled into the UK in container trucks, in which some suffocate to death. In 2014, a group of 35 Afghan Sikhs was found in a shipping container in Essex. They later claimed asylum in the UK.

CHINA EMBASSY STAFF HEADING TO UK SITE

BEIJING: Chinese embassy staff are heading to Essex to verify reports that the 39 people found dead were its nationals.

“The staff of the Chinese embassy in the UK is driving to the scene to verify this situation,” the Chinese foreign ministry said on its Weibo account.